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| Off the Cuff | Governmental Affairs | National News Update |
Government Affairs
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Alaskan Governor Sean Parnell vetoed House Bill
126 which included renewal of the Board of
Nursing as well as two other boards. The reason
that the Alaskan Governor vetoed the bill is
that the Senate Finance committee added a
provision stating “A person convicted of a
felony may not serve on a board or commission of
the state government unless the conviction has
been overturned or set aside.” The governor felt
that the ban on felons serving on commissions or
boards represented an infringement of civil
rights. It is not the intention of the Governor
that the nursing board be discontinued. The
Governor would like the legislature to pass a
simple renewal bill for the nursing board in the
next legislative session. Oregon State Legislature pass the following bills in the 2011 Legislative Session:
House Bills HB 2395-Requires individuals who use the title “doctor” to designate the health care profession in which the individual’s doctoral degree was earned wherever the title appears; e.g., all written or printed matter, advertising, billboards, signs or other professional notices. HB 2397-Requires home health agencies or in-home care agencies to complete criminal records check on individuals paid by the agencies to provide home health or in-house care services. HB 3085– Requires health care facilities caring for the driver of a vehicle that was involved in an accident to notify law enforcement if the facility becomes aware, as a result of any blood test, that the driver had controlled substance or an illegal level of alcohol in his/her system. HB 3220-Allows the Oregon State Board on Nursing to use results of the nursing assistant examination for the continuing education of nursing assistants. Specifically, it would allow Board staff to share the results of failed Certified Nursing Assistant exams with the students who failed, in hopes that students will do better when they retake the exam. The bill would remove a barrier to licensure and end a lot of frustration for many nursing assis-tant candidates.
Senate Bills SB 557-Requires each county district attorney to organize a sexual assault response team. Also requires medical facilities to adopt policies for the treatment or referral of acute sexual assault patients. SB563-Allows previously license, certified, or otherwise authorized healthcare providers to register as emergency healthcare providers and to provide healthcare services without license or certification during a Governor declared emergency. Also permits the Oregon Health Authority to direct registered emergency healthcare providers to proceed to another state where emergency healthcare services are required. SB 879-Directs the Oregon Health Authority to convene a work group to develop standards for administrative requirements for student placement in clinical training settings in Oregon. The standards must apply to students of nursing and allied health professionals, and must pertain to clinical training in settings including, but not limited to, hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. Patrice ‘Pat’ Moffett has agreed to start writing the Government Affairs article for “Off the Cuff” starting with the next issue. Thank you Pat for volunteering to do this very import service for the members of NPANA.
Information for this article came from “Alaska
Nurse” the official publication of the Alaska
Nurses Association and from “Oregon State Board
of Nursing Sentinel” article on 2011 Legislative
Session Recap. For more information on Government Affairs: |
to e-mail Board of Directors.